Blaze's Knight
by Superfield
Summary: A Silvaze fanfiction. T rating due to violence and blood, primarily in Chapter 2, and love scenes WITHOUT you-know-what.
1. Chapter 1

**Blaze's Knight**

Chapter 1

There were eight of them. Eight gangsters were forcing me and the lilac cat I was protecting, step by step, into a corner in the alley. No one would be able see us. It was plain to see that they had forgotten the meaning of mercy. _But no matter how red they stain my fur,_ I thought, _they won't lay a finger on Blaze._

As they advanced on me, I reflected back to how all this started a week ago. I'd heard Blaze screaming for help and found her being pinned down by one of those thugs. He walked (or rather, ran) away five minutes later with an array of bruises and a spectacular black eye.

I had helped Blaze up and she smiled at me and thanked me for saving her. It was at that moment I did something I thought I never would have the courage to do. I don't know if it was from the fear I felt when I saw her struggling with her captor while he forced her down, or the adrenaline rush I got from the fight. But regardless the reason, I had blurted out, "Would you like to go out with me?" I had immediately felt the color rising in my face, and she tried to hide the red in her cheeks before she said yes.

We had planned to go a week later, which, coincidentally, was the same day that thug planned to get back at me. We were walking home from our date when he and seven of his cronies jumped out and forced us into an alleyway. I had immediately stepped in front of Blaze protectively.

Then I was back to the present. The one who I had pulverized the week before (still with a tinge of purple around his eye) stepped forward and pulled out a knife. Blaze gasped in fright and crouched even lower behind me, terrified.

A voice inside me said, _You've faced far worse odds than these and come out unharmed. These guys are nothing!_ It was right; I was more than capable. But another voice said, _But you've never had to protect anyone before._ It was right too; even I couldn't fight more than three of these guys at once. That left at least five of them and an unguarded Blaze.

I was just about to make my decision when the first voice said, _So you're going to run away from a fight you can win with your eyes closed? You coward!_ The second voice retaliated, _Which is more important; your ego, or her safety?_ I made my decision.

Still in a protective position, I turned my head and whispered to Blaze, "Do you trust me?"

She hesitated before speaking. "With my life, Silver," she whispered back.

"Then hold on," I said. In one fluid motion, I turned around, picked her up, and ran for it before they could react. As I ran, I could hear them yelling at me, but I was going too fast and was too far away to hear them. Not that I wanted to.

Blaze had her arms around my neck, clinging to me desperately. Being held by someone running as fast as they can isn't the smoothest way to travel. I used my psychic powers to hover a little off the ground, so Blaze would be more comfortable. Flying would be more exhausting to me, but I didn't care. As we went on, I felt her gradually relaxing. After a minute or two, she closed her eyes and rested her head against my chest, wrapping her arms around me. At one point, I could've sworn I heard her purring softly.

As I flew, I noticed that the middle of her back was warmer than the rest of her body. I was mystified for a moment, but remembered something that happened several years ago. We were walking at the beach one summer. I had noticed that her swimsuit covered an unusual amount of her back. At one point, it slipped a little, and she pulled it back up, blushing furiously. But I had noticed a small flame flicker out. At the time, I thought I was just imagining things. Turns out I wasn't. _So that's why she's picked on so much,_ I thought. _She's different. People can be so stupid and mean!_

When we got to her house, I landed on the porch and set her down. I stood there, catching my breath from flying so far while carrying her. We just stood there for a while, in an awkward silence. Finally, I couldn't take it and said, "I guess I better get going. Bye, Blaze." I turned to walk away.

Then she did something I would never have expected. Something that nothing could ever have prepared me for. As I turned to leave, she reached out, grabbed my left hand, pulled me towards her, and...

She kissed me.

I had never felt anything so wonderful, so joyful, so shocking, or so surprising in my life. There were a million other things I had never felt so strongly before then. My face was so hot; it felt like it was on fire. In a burst of emotion and passion, I put my free hand on the place on her back where I knew there were flames burning beneath her dress.

No sooner had I done that than she let go of my hand and pull her lips from mine. I opened my eyes and saw that she was looking at me in a way I could hardly bear, like she thought I was going to hit her. She suddenly cast her gaze to the ground, tears forming in her eyes, unable to look at me.

I was puzzled at her reaction. Why was acting like she was...ashamed?

Ashamed...

Then it hit me.

In a flood of realization, I suddenly understood why she had kissed me in the first place. She never had anyone that would stand up for her, until I came along. Tonight, I chose her safety over my dignity. I chose to tire myself out rather than make her uncomfortable. I had been, for her, what every girl dreams of having - a knight in shining armor.

When she was being made fun of because of the flames on her back, I was the only one who stood up for her. She must have thought that the only reason I was her friend was because I didn't know. She didn't want to lose me, so she never told me. She was afraid that, now that I knew, I would become just like the people who had made her life miserable.

I couldn't stand seeing Blaze like this. I couldn't let her think she'd lost her one true friend. I took my now-free left hand and tipped her head up. The very sight of her tear-stricken face shot so much pity through me that I couldn't stop from crying a little myself. I whispered to her, "You have no reason to be ashamed of yourself," and I leaned in to kiss her back.

I could almost feel her relief radiating off her as she wrapped her arms around me. Tears continued to stream down her face as she thanked me in the most sincere way possible.

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My comments on this chapter are on deviantART. My page: superfield . deviantart . com (without the spaces)  
Silver and Blaze are (c) SEGA


	2. Chapter 2

**Blaze's Knight**

Chapter 2

_Where is she?_ I thought. _She said she'd be here a half-hour ago. This is unlike her…_

I looked around at my familiar surroundings. I was sitting on my favorite bench in the park, my choice place to go whenever I had a bad day, or felt depressed, or just needed some peace. I could see the sun setting and got more worried. _She'll miss twilight if she doesn't get here soon,_ I thought. The place got simply magical then, and I wanted to be there with her as she saw it for the first time.

It had been four days since our first date…and our first kiss. I could still remember the blissful sensation of her lips on mine. I closed my eyes and drifted back for the thousandth time to that wonderful moment on her front porch…

But I was forced out of my thoughts by a blood-chilling sound. A desperate cry for help. And, to my horror, I recognized the voice at once.

I ran towards the sound as fast as I could, hoping beyond hope that my ears were deceiving me. I said a silent prayer in my heart that I wouldn't find the answer to why Blaze was late.

No such luck.

The eight thugs that had jumped me and Blaze four days ago had pinned her up against a wall, laughing and jeering. Blaze was screaming for help, tears of terror lining her face. As I got closer, she noticed me and started yelling my name, begging me to help her.

Anger and hate flooded my entire body, but not all of it was directed at the ones keeping Blaze captive. I was also inwardly cursing myself for being so stupid as to think that I'd seen the last of them. They hadn't paid me back for disgracing their leader yet, and they weren't going to stop until they had. I couldn't believe it had never occurred to me before now.

And now Blaze was paying the price for my ignorance. I wanted to tear them to shreds…

No. I have to calm down. If there's any time I need to think straight, it's now.

"Well, well, well, look at who finally showed up," the gang leader laughed, "Nice job with those screams, cutie!"

"Help me, Silver!" Blaze cried.

I advanced on them, but their leader laughed, "Stop right there, or your pretty little friend won't be so pretty anymore!" He pulled out his knife and held it under Blaze's neck. She started to shake in fear, and I found it harder to control my anger.

"Let her go! She didn't do anything!" I yelled.

"You know what, you're right!" he laughed back, lowering his knife a little, "A shame to harm a little beauty like her, don't you think?"

"Let her go!" I said more firmly, shaking with the effort to stop myself from getting carried away.

"How about I make you a deal?" he said with malice in his voice, "I'll let your girlfriend go, but only if you…"

"If I what?" I spat back, almost losing my control over myself.

The thug smiled as the others made a circle around me and said, "If you take her place."

They were using her as bait. Words couldn't describe how much I hated them. I wanted to kill them. But they'd harm Blaze before I got there. I had no choice. I lowered my head, defeated, and uttered a single word.

"Deal."

"No! Don't hurt him! _Silver!_" Blaze screamed as the brutes laughed in triumph.

"Let her go," the leader commanded, and the two holding her captive threw her roughly into my arms.

"Silver…use your powers to fly away…you don't have to let them hurt you," Blaze pleaded.

I shook my head. "I can't," I replied solemnly, "If we run, they'll just keep coming back, and every time it will get worse. I don't want to keep putting you in danger like this."

"Silver…" she cried, burying her head into my shoulder.

I tipped her face up, just like I'd done four days ago. "Don't worry about me," I whispered, and gave her a sincere, sad kiss. I could feel her tears flowing down her face as she kissed me back.

The next thing I knew, I was being wrenched roughly out of the embrace and pinned against the wall. I opened my eyes to the ugly face of the gang leader. I saw his fist raise up into the air…

Everything after that point was presented to me in a series of images…

…I saw myself crash into the wall…

…One of the brutes wound up a kick at me…

…Blaze watching me with horror while screaming for them to stop…

…A blood-stained arm that looked eerily like mine…

…A long red streak along the ground…

…The gang walking away, laughing with wicked pleasure…

…And finally Blaze kneeling over me, her golden eyes wet…

Right before I blacked out, I heard my name screamed by a grief-stricken voice.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_"Silver!"_

I didn't immediately realize that it was me who screamed. It couldn't be…Silver…is…he…

"No," I whispered frantically, "No, Silver, please come back to me! No! Please!"

No response. Silver was gone, forever…

More screams. I fell onto Silver, not caring that I was covering myself with his blood, not caring about anything at all…

I don't know how long I laid there, crying, my head on his chest. It could have been thirty seconds, thirty minutes, thirty days. Silver was gone…nothing mattered anymore, nothing existed, time had no meaning…

I heard a small sound. I didn't know what it was. I heard it again. And again. It was a beat. Wait…could that mean?…

I put three of my fingers on the side of Silver's neck, checking for a pulse. There was no mistaking it; Silver's heart was beating. I put my ear up next to his mouth, straining to hear his breathing. It was slow, labored and shaky, but it was there.

_He was alive._

Relief flooded my body. I let the tears flow, faster and faster. Eventually, I got a hold of myself and thought about what to do next. _If I just sit here, he'll bleed to death. I've got to get him to a hospital!_ I thought, _No…no, even the nearest one is too far. Home is closer; I'll be able to do this. But how will I get him home?…_

I knew there was only one way, but I knew the sheer impossibility of it; carry him. Would I be able to get him that far? Would I even be able to lift him? I don't think I have the strength for it…

_Stop doubting yourself and do it,_ I told myself. _If you had the right mindset, the right motive, then I would be able to carry him across the world!_ I stood up, leaned over, and picked up Silver. I should have buckled from the weight after a few steps, but through some power, I walked the entire way without stopping.

When I finally got home, I went into the bathroom and put Silver in the bathtub. Now that I was in a lighted room, I could get a better look at him.

His spoils of the fight, no, the slaughter, covered every patch of him I could see. His shirt was in shreds, his jacket tattered. I took them both off gently and gasped at what was underneath.

His torso had obviously gotten the worst of it; in comparison, the rest of him looked quite healthy. A deep wound in his chest was his most unsettling feature, and I knew that only one thing could have caused it: the gang leader's knife. Fortunately, nothing, even the knife wound, looked beyond what I could handle.

I grabbed a washcloth, dipped it in rubbing alcohol, and, wincing at how much pain I knew I would cause him, sterilized every gash. As I worked, my hands take over and I let my mind wander. _If I had run before it was too late, he wouldn't be like this,_ I thought, _It's all because of me…it's all my fault…_

I didn't just blame myself for not getting away sooner, but for provoking the leader. I'd heard of some of the awful things he and his gang had done, and I'd foolishly gone and rebuked him. That's why he had pinned me down in the first place…Silver just thinks he was trying to take advantage of me…

I finished pressing the cloth to his skin. Even though I knew the next part was going to hurt us both, I carefully sealed his worst wounds with the few weak flames I could still manage and wrapped them in bandages. I doubted he'd be able to walk for several days, but he'll live. I lifted him out of the bathtub and brought him into my bedroom. I laid him on the bed and pulled the sheets over him. _He'll be fine now,_ I reassured myself.

I suddenly felt the fatigue and exhaustion that my worry and compassion had kept back. I would've fallen over if I hadn't grabbed my bed stand to steady me. I looked down at myself and saw that my arms and clothes were stained with blood.

_His blood,_ I thought with a shudder.

I stumbled into the bathroom connected to my room and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked every bit I felt; anxious, scared, exhausted, tense. I took off my clothes and stepped into the shower. It felt wonderful; I could feel my weariness steadily leaving me in the hot water.

Once I finished, I very carefully wrapped myself in a towel before stepping cautiously back into the room. _It wouldn't be good if he woke up before I'd decided on what to wear,_ I thought, feeling a tiny bit of color in my face. He was still unconscious; even so, I dressed quickly. I settled into a chair and watched Silver, waiting for him to wake up.

* * *

My comments on this chapter are on deviantART. My page: superfield . deviantart . com (without the spaces)  
Silver and Blaze are (c) SEGA


	3. Chapter 3

**Blaze's Knight**

Chapter 3

The first thing I was aware of was that my entire body felt like it was made of lead. I tried to move, but I could only manage a weak little twitch. I felt pain shoot through every part of me, and I felt my body suddenly get very sore. Then I felt a soft, warm sensation that eased my tender body. I was in bed. _But I don't remember getting ready..._

In fact, I don't remember much at all. What's going on?

I opened my eyes a tiny bit and saw, with mild surprise, that it was dark. I never woke up before the sun rose. As my eyes got used to the darkness, I saw that it wasn't my room. _Where am I? What am I doing here? How did I get here?_ A million questions teased my brain while I tried to make sense of it.

I tried to get out of bed, but got a sharp protest from my body. I groaned, frustrated by the confusion. I saw a sudden movement next to my bed, but I was too tired and sore to be alarmed. I saw golden eyes glowing in the darkness.

"Silver?" Blaze said, slowly walking toward me.

"Blaze?" I replied, my voice cracking from underuse. "What are you doing here? Where am I? How did I get here? What happened?"

"Calm down, Silver, relax. Where does it hurt?" she asked in a soothing voice, dabbing my forehead with a damp towel.

"Everywhere," I moaned, "Blaze, what is going on?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" she questioned, stroking my quills.

I racked my brains, trying to get a grip on my memory. "I was waiting for you at the park. You were late, and I thought that was odd," I said, "I...I was thinking back to our first kiss...and..." I stopped as I remembered what happened next. My imagination must be going haywire. "...And I thought I heard you scream," I said, "But that's ridiculous, right?"

I looked up at her, waiting to hear her tell me that nothing like that happened. But she didn't say anything. She just kept stroking my spikes, but the way she was looking at me...it was a mixture of pity and guilt.

"Blaze?"

She broke down and cried.

"Oh, Silver, Silver...this is all my fault..." she sobbed, clutching onto my sheets.

Ignoring my body's painful objections, I sat up and held Blaze by the arms. "Blaze, tell me what happened," I said seriously.

She stopped crying and looked me straight in the eyes. She slowly took my left hand and put it on the side of my head. _What is she doing?_ But then I felt something odd...not just fur and quills. Something like a fabric...

It was a bandage. I took a closer look at my other arm and saw that it was wrapped in several more, and with a number of bruises. I threw the off the bed sheets, looked down, and froze in terror.

All over my body, bandages criss-crossed and intertwined in a complex web. Scratches and bruises littered the spaces in between. My breath came out in short, shallow puffs. What happened to me...?

I grabbed the one across my chest, the biggest one, and began to slowly unwrap it. I took it off and saw a gaping wound. Brand-new. I had to have gotten it within the last several hours. _How could I not have remembered getting these?_ I hastily re-wrapped my chest. Blaze was just watching me, saddened by what she saw. What did she know that I don't?

"Blaze, how did I get all these wounds? Who gave them to me? Why? When?" I pleaded, not so much in confusion but in worry and terror.

Blaze gradually leaned over, took my head in both her hands, and kissed me. Even though the sensation of her lips on mine was one of the most wonderful things in the world, I couldn't help but be slightly irritated at how she wouldn't give me a straight answer. But then I noticed something oddly familiar about the way she was kissing me. It wasn't like the kiss that Blaze gave me on her front porch, or the one I gave her right after that. I was sure those was the only times we had embraced each other; and yet, I was sure there was something familiar about it. She was kissing me like something terrible was about to happen to me...

In an instant, I remembered the kiss and everything that had happened last night.

I was so shocked by the flood of memories all that I froze completely. Blaze broke the kiss and lay down on the bed with me, resting her head on my chest and wrapping her arms around me. We laid there for a while before she spoke.

"After you lost consciousness," she began, "I...I thought I lost you. It was the most empty, hollow feeling. I didn't know what to do. I felt so alone..." She gave a long, shuddering breath before she went on, "I had my head on your chest, just like this, and I felt something. Your heart. I was so relieved, that I somehow found the strength to carry you to my home. I cleaned you up, bandaged your wounds, and put you in bed." She took a long breath that came out as a sob. She started to cry again, saying over and over, "It's all my fault...this is all my fault...Silver..."

I let these words sink in. _She thinks it's because of her I'm like this._ I pulled Blaze up so she was level with me, put my hand on her back, directly over her flames, and told her, "I don't blame you for what happened to me, Blaze. It's not your fault. I'll get better, these cuts will heal, these bruises will fade. Blaze," I pulled her close to me and whispered, "I love you."

I pulled her into a fervent, heartfelt kiss. She draped her arms around me as she returned my kiss again and again. Words were of no use to us. I only needed the way she pressed her lips to mine to tell me that she loved me back.

After we stopped the kiss, we laid in a tight embrace, just enjoying the other's company. I started to feel the tiredness and soreness I'd kept at bay for such a long time steadily begin to seep back in. Blaze stood up and said, "You've had a rough night, Silver, and you need to rest."

I fell asleep before my head hit the pillow.

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My comments on this chapter are on deviantART. My page: superfield . deviantart . com (without the spaces)  
Silver and Blaze are (c) SEGA


	4. Chapter 4

**Blaze's Knight**

Chapter 4

I woke up and immediately felt tired enough to go back to sleep, but the unfamiliar feel of the bed made me open my eyes in curiosity. I was momentarily confused at the room and bed I woke up in, as neither one was mine. Then everything that had happened the night before came rushing back. I had been injured after a gang had beaten me into unconsciousness for shaming their leader. I had been carried by Blaze to her home, washed up, and had my wounds cared for. I had woken to Blaze blaming herself for what happened. I had told her I didn't blame her. I...

I had told her I loved her. I remembered the embrace I gave her, the one she returned. I closed my eyes and lost myself in this happy memory. The feel of her fur, of the flames on her back, of her lips kissing mine again and again...

The warm aroma of breakfast made me open my eyes again. I looked up to see Blaze walking into the room, carrying a tray laden with the most delicious-smelling foods. Seeing I was awake, she smiled and placed the tray on the bedstand.

"Morning, Silver," she said tenderly.

"Morning, Blaze," I said sleepily. I started to shift my sore body into a sitting position, and found it harder to do so than I thought. Blaze bent down to help me, but I protested, "No, wait, I can get it," and finally managed to sit up.

She placed the tray on my bed, and I immediately started to eat. I was hungry after last night. I noticed that she was just watching me. I felt guilty; I don't know how long she'd been up making this, and here I was, eating to my heart's content and not giving a thought to her.

Like she could read my mind, she stood up and said, "I've made some for me. I'll give you some privacy, if you want..."

"I wouldn't mind if you brought it in here," I said a little too quickly.

"Oh, okay!" she replied, walking out of the room. She reappeared a second later with a significantly smaller helping for herself. Feeling a little better, we started to eat.

"So, I guess I should be going home soon," I said, trying to break the silence.

"Silver, you're going to stay right there until you've healed," Blaze said.

"What!?! But...I..." I stammered in protest.

"No buts; you're badly hurt, and you need to heal before you go anywhere," Blaze insisted.

I knew she was right. I doubted that I'd be able to walk much at all for a day. I hated feeling like a burden, which is what I'd be to her if I was in bed all day. I changed the subject, and we were soon talking like we were on a date. When we finished our breakfast, Blaze took the dishes and said to me, "Now, lie down, go back to sleep, and I'll take care of everything."

"Thanks, Blaze, for everything," I responded, feeling contentedly sleepy from the meal. I lay back down on the bed and went to sleep.

XXXXXXXXXX

About an hour and a half later, I woke up again and finally felt fully rested. I yawned and stretched my aching body, and I noticed that I wasn't wearing my gloves; Blaze must have taken them off when I was unconscious. I saw them on the bedstand and used my psychic powers to grab them. Suddenly, I felt like I'd just run a mile, and my gloves had hardly wiggled. I reached over to get them normally. _I'm stuck in bed, I feel like I was run over by a truck, _and_ I can't use my telekinesis,_ I thought, groaning in irritation. Blaze must have heard me, because she appeared in the doorway a moment later. She walked in and I noticed that she looked rather stressed; her hair was slightly askew and her clothes were wrinkled. She sure looked like she had her hands full, and I knew her smile was just masking her exhaustion.

She looked like she needed a break. I was about to point this out to her when a thought crossed my mind. That thought turned into an idea. And that idea sounded good to me.

"You're up! Do you need anything?" she said, stroking my quills and holding my hand as she spoke.

"No, I'm alright," I replied, smiling slyly.

"Okay. I'll be back to check on you in a little while," she said, giving my hand a squeeze as she got up to leave.

"But it looks like you need something."

Instead of letting go of her hand as she left, I held on tighter. She turned around and looked at me, and gave a tired sigh.

"Silver, let go, I've got things to do!" she said exasperatedly.

"Hmm...No!" I said jokingly as I started to pull her towards me. My sore arm objected painfully, but I paid no attention.

"Silver, stop! I'm really busy right now!" she protested, now laughing and trying to pull away from me.

"Aww, come on, you need a break!" I teased as I dragged her closer.

"No really, I...whoa!" I finally managed to pull her onto the bed next to me. "Alright, Silver, that's enough, let me go now..." she said, out of breath and giggling uncontrollably.

"Uh, oh, sounds like someone's ticklish!" I said playfully, freeing my other arm.

She started to squirm and protest in delight as I tickled her in loving cruelty. Finally, she gave in, saying, "Okay, okay, I'll take a break!" I chuckled in satisfaction, stopped tickling her and pulled her close to me. She closed her eyes and leaned into me, and in a moment, the two of us were locked in a fierce embrace, kissing each other over and over.

We just laid there for a while afterwards in a soft hug, while I stroked her hair and she purred and rubbed her face up against mine. I never wanted her to move off the bed; I wanted to keep feeling her fur, keep smelling her sweet aroma, keep listening to the soothing sound of her purring...

"I'd better get back to work," she said, sitting up, "Thanks, Silver, I needed that," kissed my forehead, and walked out.

XXXXXXXXXX

Every time Blaze came to check up on me after that, we would try to trick the other to let down their guard and land a kiss on them. It quickly turned into a game, and it was a game I thoroughly enjoyed; I'd never known anything could be so fun to lose. Plus, it gave me something to do rather than just lie there all day; I loved coming up with what I'd do next.

"Need anything?" Blaze said, coming into the room.

"No, I'm alright," I replied, preparing to launch my latest plan.

"Alright, then, I'm going to go to bed. It's getting late," she replied, yawning and stretching as she did so.

"Okay...Wait a second, where are you going to sleep?" I asked her, my scheme forgotten. Blaze's house only had one bedroom and one bed - the one I was in.

"Oh, just on the couch," she told me, picking up a pillow and a blanket as she did so.

"You don't have to do that, I'll sleep on the couch; I mean, it _is_ your bed and all..." I protested, feeling my argument sound weaker and weaker.

"And you're the one who needs to heal."

"No, really, I don't want you to be uncomfortable..."

"I'll be fine, Silver, you need the bed."

"Well, okay," knowing it was pointless to argue, "but if you get too uncomfortable, you can sleep with me." I meant to be considerate, but then I realized exactly what I just said. I don't think there was a part of my face didn't go completely red.

She giggled, blushed and said, "I'll keep that in mind, but for now, let's take a look at your injuries."

I turned over onto my back and threw the covers off so she could tend to me. As she undressed and redressed each gash, I mentally beat myself over the head for saying that. _Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid..._ Eventually, though, I got over it and started to lose myself in her touch. I looked up at her and saw that she looked a tiny bit sad. I dismissed it and closed my eyes again.

When she finished with the ones on my front, I turned over onto my stomach in a prone position, and she continued. I chuckled lightly as her hand accidentally tickled one of the quills on my back.

"What's so funny?" Blaze asked, stopping. I could hear a touch of offense in her voice, but I ignored it.

"You're enjoying this, I can tell."

I meant it in a playful, teasing way. I was surprised when her response was bitter and hurt.

"Oh, so I'm supposed to _enjoy_ looking at my boyfriend's wounds, which are there because of _me?_" she suddenly fumed. I turned my head to look at her, bewildered by her reaction. I had one hope that she was just trying to win at our game, but one look at her insult-lined face blew away that possibility. "Well, then, I guess you'd be better off without me!" She grabbed her pillow and a blanket and stormed out.

"No, wait, Blaze, I didn't mean it like _that!_" I called back desperately, "Come back! _Blaze!_" When I didn't get a response, I pounded my fist on the bed and heaved a frustrated sigh. "Women," I muttered. I laid back down and tried to find relief in sleep, but that quickly proved impossible. _She still blames herself for what happened to me,_ I thought, _Didn't I make it clear it's not her fault? Why can't she just let it go..._

A loud crash of thunder brought me out of my thoughts. I turned my head to the window and saw rain starting to hit the panes. _Great,_ I thought, thoroughly aggravated, _A nice little storm to keep me up. This just keeps getting..._

But then an idea crossed my mind that made me think twice about the storm. _Blaze always said she hates thunder,_ I thought. I carefully shifted myself to the left, leaving a space big enough for a second occupant. I closed my eyes and laid underneath the covers, pretending to fall asleep.

Sure enough, after about a dozen more rolling booms of thunder, I heard a noise in the hall. I opened one eye a tiny bit and saw Blaze standing in the doorway, holding her pillow. Her face showed that she was scared, angry and uncertain all at once. _I knew it; she's trying to decide whether it's worse better to brave the night alone or come in bed with me,_ I thought. She started to turn to go back into the living room, but a sharp thunderclap changed her mind. I shut my eye hastily as she rushed over and placed her pillow on the space I'd made earlier.

She curled up into a tight ball, her body away from me; she was obviously still angry. I turned over, like I was asleep, and wrapped one arm around her middle. I could feel her tense up, but then relax. After a minute, she turned around and put one hand on my shoulder. I waited a few seconds, opened my eyes, saw two golden ovals stare back at me in surprise, and I quickly moved my lips onto hers. She slowly recovered from my feint, closed her eyes and kissed me back. The kiss lasted a very long time, both of us apologizing to the other without saying a word. Once it was over, I trailed little kisses up to one of her ears and whispered softly,

"I win."

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My comments on this chapter are on deviantART. My page: superfield . deviantart . com (without the spaces)  
Silver and Blaze are (c) SEGA


	5. Chapter 5

**Blaze's Knight**

Chapter 5

It was almost a week since my accident, and I was healing very fast. Three days ago, I was able to walk (albeit very painfully), and by yesterday I only had a slight limp. Only my worst wounds needed bandages anymore, and a number of smaller bruises and scratches had already faded. I was now able to take care of myself. Last night Blaze and I talked about it, and we agreed that I'd leave today.

I walked into the kitchen and found Blaze already up, busying herself making breakfast. I crept in behind her and hugged her from behind, turning my head to kiss her cheek. "Good morning," I said.

"Morning, Silver," she replied, twisting her head to kiss me back.

"Thanks for everything."

"Thanks for what you did for me."

"My pleasure." I dropped my voice to a whisper, "I'm going to miss you…"

"What are you talking about?" she laughed, "Nothing's changing except us living in different houses, like normal."

"Yeah, but, still."

"I guess so…"

After breakfast, I quickly got ready and was standing in the doorway, ready, but not wanting, to leave.

"Bye, Silver," Blaze said, obviously feeling the same way I felt.

"See you later, Blaze," I said, giving her a farewell kiss.

The walk home lasted a painfully long time. I was conscious of every step taking me away from the happiest week of my life.

XXXXXXXXXX

Life went on as usual after I got home. I felt lonelier than normal, though; it took me days to get used to not being able to go into the other room and hold Blaze in my arms whenever I felt like it. We still saw each other often, but I hated how long it took to satisfy the impulse to be with her.

In truth, I wanted to live with her again, but it had been drilled into my head to never ever live with anyone except if they were family or if I was married to them. I knew I was already making a huge mistake of centering my life on her; I wasn't going to take it further. I actually thought about proposing to her, but that was ridiculous; we were way too young, and we hadn't liked each other like this long enough, anyway.

Neither of us had jobs (we didn't need to), but Blaze liked to keep herself busy anyways. I could see the wisdom in that; I probably wouldn't feel the need to be with her so strongly or so often if I had something to do and a little extra money couldn't hurt. I eventually didn't do it; I just couldn't find the motivation to get a job just for the sake of doing something, and having a schedule meant less flexibility to be with Blaze when I wanted.

I had turned over all of these arguments countless times, trying to find the magic solution. But no matter how much I considered and reconsidered my options, the best answer I could think of was something I had to wait a long time for. _Why can't things just be simple and easy for once?_ I asked myself bitterly over and over.

I had to scold myself for thinking like that. I was very fortunate for being able to be this spontaneous with her; very few people had the kind of flexibility in their lives that Blaze and I had. I had no right to be in self-pity; I should be counting my blessings right now.

Simply put, my heart, gut, mind and soul were all fighting for control of my body, and it was emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually exhausting.

I was thinking all of this as I was going to Blaze's house to take her on a walk. I was trying to think of what I should do, and if I should do anything. I gave up just as I noticed that Blaze was sitting on her porch, facing the other way. She looked sort of gloomy; she had her head down and was curled in a tight ball, staring at the ground somberly. She looked like she needed a hug.

I walked up from behind her as quietly as I could and wrapped my arms around her middle, giving her a little squeeze. She smiled a little before breathing a little sigh.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Just a bad day," she replied.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, kissing her cheek, "Hey, are you cold, Blaze?" She was probably contentedly warm by most people's standards, but for her, she looked like she was freezing. "Here," I said, taking off my jacket and draping it around her shoulders.

"Thanks, Silver," she said, smiling. I put my arm around her and we started to walk. She looked like she was feeling a little better now, but still pretty down. She needed a real pick-me-up. As we walked by a small forest, I knew exactly what would make her day.

I stopped, took her hand and whispered in her ear, "Follow me." I started to lead her through the thicket of trees.

"Silver, where are we going?" Blaze asked, puzzled.

I stopped a little bit before we got to our destination and put my hands over Blaze's eyes. "Okay, we're almost there," I said as I led her slowly through the last part of the trip.

"Can I open my eyes yet?" she asked, giggling with anticipation.

"Just a little farther, almost there," I reassured her. When we finally got to the place, I said, "Okay, open them."

About a year ago, after having a bad day like Blaze, I had stumbled blindly into this same forest, just to get away from the world. I ran randomly through the trees until I came upon a small clearing. I instantly fell in love with the place. It was at the very heart of the forest, so no outside sounds could get in. It was so peaceful, so tranquil, that I went back to that same place dozens of times. It was my abode, my getaway, my secret.

But now, I wanted it to be our secret.

I smiled as Blaze looked around at her surroundings in awe. It was the perfect time of year, too; enough leaves had fallen from the trees to make a soft blanket on the ground and to let in plenty of golden sunshine, but enough still on them to stop them from looking dead, like in the winter.

"It's…Oh, it's _wonderful!_" she breathed, "It's like a palace!"

"Well, a beautiful princess deserves a wonderful palace, right?" I said, bringing her into a tight embrace.

"And a valiant knight deserves a beautiful princess, right?" she said, putting her head on my shoulder.

Suddenly, we were both kissing each other with more intimacy than we had ever shown each other. In an instant, we were on the ground, with Blaze laying on top of me, both of us pouring out our love for the other. Once again, it became a battle for control within me; my soul told me to stop now, my mind told me to slow down, my gut told me to keep going, and my heart told me to never stop. Just at the point when I thought I'd explode, my heart won and my passion was let out, and I made no attempt to stop it.

I don't know how long we lay there, but when we finally stopped, it felt far too soon. I opened my eyes and smiled at Blaze, but she didn't return it. She just turned over and faced the other way.

"Blaze? What's the matter?" I said, confused. She didn't seem to be in the talking mood, so I gave her a hug and whispered, "Blaze, please, tell me what's wrong." It took her a while before she spoke.

"Is this all I'm good for?" she said quietly. I wasn't expecting her to say anything like that. "Someone for you to hold, and…and to kiss…"

I guess we hadn't done much else for a long time. "Is that how I've been treating you?" I asked, "Like nothing more than a teddy bear?" She nodded to me.

"Oh, Blaze, I'm sorry," I said sincerely. I was in an awkward situation; do I hold on to her tighter or do I let go? "How can I change that?" I eventually said.

"How about a hike?" she suggested, brightening and turning around to face me, "The Sun's Peak Trail isn't too far from here. Meet here tomorrow at six?"

"It's a date," I said, relieved that her solution was to spend more time with her.

"All right, then, see you tomorrow," she said, getting up to leave.

"Hey, where are you going?" I teased, standing up and grabbing her hand.

"Well…I, uh…it's getting late, and…um…" she stuttered. I put two fingers over her mouth so I could speak.

"May I have this dance, milady?" I said, bowing a little.

"You may, sir knight," she said, resting her hand on my shoulder as I put mine on her waist. She was probably expecting a slow, simple, back-and-forth type of dance. I took her by surprise when I pulled her into a quick waltz.

"I didn't know you dance," Blaze said, stepping perfectly.

"Well, you're a lot better than me," I said as I nearly misstepped.

"No, no, you're doing fine," she said, "You just need to…relax."

"Like this?" I said, getting an idea.

I carefully made an invisible floor beneath Blaze and I with my telekinesis and made it slowly rise. Soon, we were dancing in mid-air. Blaze certainly seemed to be enjoying herself; I was just worried that I would tire myself out soon. I didn't need to be nervous, though; I had been getting better and better at telekinesis and hardly noticed the effort needed to keep us both hover.

I ended our dance by spinning her around, dipper her and giving her a kiss. I slowly lowered us down and landed lightly on the ground with Blaze in my arms. I set her down and we walked out of the forest, my troubles forgotten.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next day, I walked down to the clearing, which we had come to call the Grove, a little earlier than we'd arranged. I closed my eyes and thought back to yesterday, not just to the happy time Blaze and I shared, but I also thought about how foolish I was in considering and reconsidering our relationship so much. As I waited patiently against a tree, I heard a small rustling off to my right. I turned, expecting Blaze, but instead, my eyes fell on…

"Amy?" I said, recognizing the pink hedgehog immediately. What was she doing here? "How did you know about this place?"

"Oh, I, uh," Amy stammered, suddenly very fidgety, "I saw you go in and I, um, was kinda curious. Sorry…"

"No, that's okay," I said. In my mind, I thought, _She saw me walk into a forest and randomly decided to follow me? That's pretty odd…_

"This place is lovely," Amy said. She started moving towards me slowly, "You know, Silver, you're a really nice guy."

"Oh, uh, thanks, Amy," I said, disarmed by her comment.

"That's not exactly what I mean."

Amy started to get uncomfortably close to me. I looked away from her, trying to distract myself and her. I felt her grip my arm softly. My eyes darted around, trying to find an excuse to leave. She was getting closer and closer, and it made me really nervous…

Then, all at once, Amy leaned forward and kissed me.

It took me a second to recover from the shock before I started to try and break free. I didn't like Amy like _this_…I didn't like anyone but Blaze in this way…

Suddenly, I felt Amy break away from me to look at two golden eyes staring at us.

She couldn't have come at a worse time. Blaze had seen Amy kissing me, and me trying to get away…but it obviously looked like I was showing affections for her. I was about to try and explain what happened when Blaze cut me off.

"Why, you lousy, cheating little…!" Blaze went up to me and slapped me across the face with a hand engulfed in flames. I winced from the pain, but it wasn't what was really hurting me…

"How could you, Silver?" She sounded more hurt than I could bear. "I carried you, unconscious and near dead, bandaged your bloodied body, took care of you _and_ me for nearly a week, _and _this_ is how you repay me!?!_"

"Blaze…I…Amy, she…" I tried to tell her what happened with little success.

"_What about last night? Were you just saying all that to be nice, or were you just afraid of losing one of your favorite things to take advantage of!?!_" she shouted, her face twisted with fury.

"Blaze, please let me explain…" I pleaded with her.

"I LOVED YOU, SILVER!" she screamed, tears forming in her eyes, "I loved you…"

She buried her face in her hands and ran off, sobbing.

"Blaze, wait! You don't understand! Come back! _Blaze!_" I yelled in desperation. Amy was still holding onto my arm. I broke away roughly and said to her, "I don't like you that way!"

I ran after Blaze, calling her name and leaving Amy behind in the clearing. I was so shocked after what just took place that I managed to get lost in the forest for a little while. Disoriented, I ran for Blaze's house so I could tell her what really happened…

I finally got there. Without knocking or thinking, I threw open the door and burst inside. I looked around for a second before something to my right caught my eye. Something blue…

Sonic was on the couch and was kissing Blaze.

My heart felt like it had been torn in half. They were so…absorbed with each that they hadn't even noticed me yet. All at once, I felt my heartache get replaced by anger.

"You hypocrite!" I shouted, startling all three of us, "You accuse me of cheating when you've been getting cozy with Sonic for who knows how long? _I nearly died for you, and this is how _you_ thank _me!?!"

"Silver! What are you…" Blaze said, staggered by my sudden appearance.

"_I went through more confusion and pain than I ever have in my life for you, and that wasn't enough!?!_" I yelled, completely losing control.

"No, wait…It's not like that…" she said, cringing under my wrath.

"I LOVED YOU!" I roared, but then I suddenly felt my anguish come back and my rage leave…

I turned and ran out the door.

XXXXXXXXXX

I didn't feel anything until I got home. I just ran and ran, not conscious of anything. I burst into my house, fell on my bed and cried. I cried because Blaze thought I hated her…I cried because she hated me…I cried because she was gone. I was sorry for what I said…I didn't mean it…I cried until I didn't have any tears left.

I lay on the bed for a while after, trying to work out what had happened; at least, until my left cheek started to throb. I went into the bathroom to look at it. _Another scar to add to the collection,_ I thought glumly, but I wasn't referring to the burn on my cheek. I would've looked at it closer, but I couldn't stand the sight of my own tear-lined face. I started to get ready for bed, but I wasn't thinking about what I was doing. I didn't have the capacity to think anymore…

Next thing I knew, I was showered, changed and in bed. I sighed heavily and turned over, knowing I wasn't going to get much sleep. My eyes fell onto a framed picture of Blaze I kept on my bedstand. I stared at it for a long time. All I wanted was to hold her again, to kiss her again, to forget any of this happened…was that too much to ask?

I picked up the picture with my telekinesis and threw it against the wall, but I didn't hear it break. Something else, something far more tangible and valuable, shattered at the very same moment the frame did.

My heart.

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My comments on this chapter are on deviantART. My page: superfield . deviantart . com (without the spaces)  
Silver and Blaze are (c) SEGA


	6. Chapter 6

**Blaze's Knight**

Chapter 6

Empty.

That's all I felt like. A hollowed shell of the guy I used to be. Blaze hated me, she had cheated on me and she thought I did the same to her. It was obvious that we wouldn't be able to look at each other for weeks. I felt like I wanted to go back to the Grove, but the memories of the last happy time we shared and what happened last night would do everything except comfort me.

I eventually decided to go to the park (I didn't sit on my favorite bench, though; it reminded me of the gang fight). As I sat there, in silence, I contemplated what I should do next. My mind said to move on, there are other girls out there, forget Blaze. My heart screamed in protest to this, but I knew my mind had won this battle. I would just…have to…move on…

I felt like crying again. I didn't _want_ to move on; I wanted to be with Blaze. That's all I wanted…

"Hey, Silver." I hastily tried to make my face look passive rather than anguished before I looked up.

"Hey, Shadow. Hey, Rouge," I said, trying to keep my voice normal as I acknowledged the black hedgehog and white bat that had walked up to me.

"You all right, Silver?" Rouge asked, seeing through my attempts to act casual, "You look kinda…down."

I sighed. I didn't want to be dishonest, but I didn't want to dump my problems on them, especially since they looked content. "I had kind of a rough night," I finally answered.

"What happened?" Rouge asked, sitting down next to me. Shadow followed rather reluctantly and put his arm around her.

I took a deep breath before I started. I told them everything, starting from the planned date and ending with me running out of Blaze's house. Rouge was hanging onto my every word, but Shadow looked like he wanted me to finish fast. He gained a little interest, however, when I showed them the burn on my cheek. I almost lost my composure when I told them about what I said to Blaze after I found her and Sonic on the couch. I felt a little better after I finished, though.

"Silver, show me that burn again," Shadow said, and I turned so they could get a good look. Shadow thought for a moment and whispered something to Rouge so softly that I couldn't believe she could hear him, even though he was speaking right into her ear. She murmured something back to him, and they quickly went into an entire hushed conversation. I was curious and felt left out; what were they talking about and why weren't they telling me?

"Hey, Silver?" Rouge said once their whispered discussion was finally over, "You never told Blaze what really happened between you and Amy, right?"

"No, I didn't," I said glumly, "I wanted to, back before I knew she and Sonic were…you know."

"Well, then, why don't you go tell her now?" Rouge said in a matter-of-fact way.

"Because she hates me, she isn't going to want to talk to me…" I started to say, but Rouge cut me off.

"And she's like that because she got the wrong impression." She was escalating this into an argument; a type of duel that I was very familiar with, but very bad at. I decided to pick up my sword of words anyway.

"I would have told her if she hadn't have cheated on me." A decent enough counter.

"What kind of an excuse is _that?_ You should have told her the first chance you got!" I could tell that Rouge was an expert at this.

"Why would she need to know when she's happy with her new boyfriend?" I went with a quick change in angles; that might throw her off.

"Because this is a key piece of information that she is missing, and you have it!" She was _really_ good at this.

"There's no point in trying to tell her! She's not going to listen to me!" Get around that one; I dare you.

"Silver, I don't pretend to know everything about what happened, but I do think that I know something you don't!" She's bluffing. Big mistake!

"Oh, so you've known about this for five minutes and you already know more that me? I'd sure like to know how you managed that!" I had the upper hand now.

"I said I _think_ I know something you don't." She's resorting to technicalities; a sure sign of losing.

"All right, then, what do you _think_ you know that I don't?" No way out of that.

"Blaze would know for sure, so you can ask her when you tell her your side of the story!" Maybe she's not as defeated as I thought…

"If you're so worried about her knowing, then why don't you tell her?" A parry that sounded a lot better in my head.

"Because she would want to hear it from you, not me!" I had no response to that. "Silver, if you really want me to, and if you're too stuck up to do it yourself, then I'll tell Blaze. I really will. But what do you think Blaze will feel like when you don't bother to tell her something this important yourself?" The final blow.

I let out an exasperated breath. Shadow seemed to have enjoyed our argument; or rather, he enjoyed seeing Rouge beat me. I lowered my head, knowing I'd lost, and said, "You're right. Blaze deserves to know the truth, and she deserves to hear it from me."

"Good call," Shadow said, "Let me give you a piece of advice, Silver: _Never_ argue with girls, especially Rouge. I'm talking from experience here. Somehow, even when they're wrong," He stood up and pulled Rouge close to him, "they're right," and he leaned in to give her a congratulatory kiss. "Now, go and get your girl back," he said as he took a green emerald out of his pocket.

They disappeared in a flash of blue light a second later.

XXXXXXXXXX

I stood on the corner of Blaze's street, trying to get a strategy for telling her. What should I say? What should I do? And why is this so hard?

I eventually decided to just wing it and hope for the best. I walked up to her porch and, after shoving the last of my doubts and second thoughts away, knocked. I heard Blaze walk slowly up to the door, and she opened it just enough to see who was there. When she saw me, she opened the door a hair, then slammed it shut and said, "Go away, Silver!"

"Blaze, I want to explain what happened last night," I said, trying to sound sorry and humble.

"You don't need to explain anything!" she replied angrily.

"Blaze," I pleaded, "Just hear me out? Please?"

A small pause. Just when I thought all hope was lost, the door opened and Blaze said, "Make it quick." I felt relieved, but she kept the screen door between us.

"Yesterday, I went to the Grove a little early…" I began.

"So you could make out with Amy…" she muttered, cutting me off.

"Blaze, please let me finish?" I said. She didn't reply; just crossed her arms and looked away.

"I was waiting for you in the Grove, and then, Amy came in," I continued, "She said she saw me go in and she followed me. Then she started to move closer to me…really close. I didn't like it. I wanted to get away, but she grabbed my arm. Then she…she kissed me. All I could think was, 'I don't like Amy like this, what is she doing, I only like Blaze like this…' and then…you came in. What you saw was me trying to get away from Amy, not me showing affections for her." I couldn't see what her reaction to this was; she was turned away from me, and the screen door was obscuring my view. "That's the truth."

I waited for a response and didn't get one. I started to walk away, feeling my heart sink deeper with every step. Suddenly, I heard Blaze call out, "Silver, wait!" She had run out onto the porch. I turned to look at her and our eyes met, and she looked away sheepishly. "Come in, I…I have something to tell you, too," she said, and I walked inside with her.

We sat down on the couch, but I kept my distance, fearing Blaze would try and slap me again. She waited a minute before she started to tell me what happened. "When I ran out of the Grove, I went home. I felt terrible; I was so sorry for what I said to you, but I couldn't go back; I thought you hated me. I wanted to go back and apologize, I wanted to change things…but I couldn't." Her story was sounding very familiar. I noticed her hand and, on an impulse, reached out and held it tenderly. "Then, the doorbell rang. I expected it to be you, but it was Sonic. I invited him in, and he told me he wanted to tell me something. We sat down on the couch, like we are now, and he gave me a flower. Then he told me, 'Thank you for all that you did for me,' and kissed me." I started to realize just how wrong I had been. I took her other hand in mine and got a little closer. "I didn't know what to do at first; I thought that you were in love with Amy, and so I should just give you up. But then, I remembered the day before and knew…I knew that I didn't want to share _anything_ like that with _anyone_ but you." We slowly put our arms around one another. "I was just about to try and get away from Sonic when…you came in." I looked into her eyes; they were swimming with tears. My vision went blurry as one of them escaped and ran down her cheek.

A moment later, Blaze and I were kissing each other with passion and intimacy that rivaled our embrace in the Grove. We apologized and forgave one another countless times without speaking a word. I clung to her, and she to me; we were afraid that something would come between us again if we let go. _Nothing is going to keep me from her,_ I thought, _And I guess it wasn't too much to ask…_

After our initial burst of emotion, we sat in a tight hug, pondering the events that led up to this. "The odds of that happening," I whispered, "are…_ridiculous_. I mean, the same thing happened twice, once to each of us, perfectly timed to ensure that we got exactly the wrong impression. That defies chance…"

"Well," she whispered back, "we aren't exactly on a team of people who obey chance, are we?"

I chuckled a little. "You've got that right. I have no idea how Sonic gets through half of one of his adventures alive." I stopped for a moment, realizing that there was one piece I was still missing. "What happened after I left last night?"

"I slapped Sonic, just like I…slapped you…" Her gaze suddenly went to the burn on my cheek. She touched it gently, knowing that she had given it to me. Suddenly, she leaned forward and started to kiss it, and I knew she was saying sorry in a very, very sincere way. I put my hand over her flames and gently rubbed the spot. "After I slapped him," she continued slowly, "I told…no, _ordered_ him to get out. He didn't need telling twice."

I put the pieces together in my mind. Shadow had asked me to see my burn again; he must have seen the one Blaze gave to Sonic. His and Rouge's whispers back and forth must have been them putting two and two together. "Remind me to thank Rouge later," I told Blaze.

"What for?"

"For beating me in an argument." She looked really confused, but she decided to just leave it for now. "You know, we never did go on our little hike," I said, remembering the reason I was in the Grove in the first place.

"No, we didn't," she said with a little sigh.

"Well, then, why don't we go?" I said, brightening a little.

"Now?"

"Sure, why not?"

She thought for a second. "Well, it sounds good to me! Just let me change into shoes that are better for hiking," she said, starting to get up. I held her back and got them with my telekinesis; I'd noticed where she kept them when I was still recovering from the fight. "Thanks, Silver," she whispered, giving me a squeeze before putting them on.

As we walked out of Blaze's house, I felt like we were just going on another date, like the past day had never happened. And that was a wonderful feeling.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

As I walked to the Sun's Peak Trail with Silver, I recalled all the times I'd been up this same trail. I loved to hike when I was a little girl, and this was one of my favorite places to go. I'd never been all the way up to the summit, though; it overlooked a sudden fifty-foot drop, which was just too high for comfort.

We walked with one arm around another until we got to the trail, and then I took the lead with Silver close behind. At one point, I was going up a steeper part of the trail and slipped. Silver caught me and spun me around, giving me a light kiss on the cheek and saying, "Careful!" We stood there in our embrace for a second before moving on, and this time, Silver helped me up so I wouldn't fall again.

Along the trail, there are a lot of scenic landscapes that I'd seen many times. They should have been uninteresting to me, but they somehow had new life breathed into them. They were…beautiful. I didn't know why I was so mesmerized with them; at least, I didn't until Silver nuzzled my cheek.

We finally made it to the peak a few minutes before the sun set. I had always wanted to see the sunset from the very top; the sight was what had given Sun's Peak its name. But I had always been too scared to. Silver sensed this and floated up to wait for the sun to disappear beyond the horizon. I waited below, knowing my view was going to be inferior to his. Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation, like I was weightless. I had a familiar blue aura around me, and I realized that I was hovering. A second later, Silver caught me and the aura left.

"How can I enjoy the sunset if I'm not sharing it with you?" Silver explained. I felt like saying I wasn't comfortable up here, but then I stopped myself. I actually wasn't scared; in fact, I felt warm and safe. Warmer and safer than I'd ever felt before, and it was because I was in the arms of Silver the Hedgehog.

"Silver?" I said, dropping my voice to a whisper, "I love you."

_Never forget,_ I told myself as mine and Silver's lips met and the sun went down, _Never forget this moment._

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My comments on this chapter are on deviantART. My page: superfield . deviantart . com (without the spaces)  
Silver and Blaze are (c) SEGA


	7. Chapter 7

**Blaze's Knight**

Chapter 7

_There was darkness. Nothing but darkness._

_I looked around to try and find out something about where I was, how I got here, and how I could get out._

_Eventually, I just started to look. It didn't matter what it was; important or pointless, informative or void of information, I didn't care. I just wanted to find _something_. Anything that assured me that I wasn't the only thing that existed. Anything that assured me that _I_ existed._

_After what felt like months, I spotted something far away. Or, at least, my sight told me it was far away. I felt like it was right in front of me. I rushed over to whatever it was. The closer I got, the less I felt like I was confronting the unknown and more like I was approaching an old friend._

_I didn't recognize the oh-so-familiar shape. I reached down to learn something, anything, about what the thing that I knew more about than anything else was._

_The moment my fingers touched it, I was overcome by a multitude of emotion. Well, it was kind of like emotion. I feel them like I always could, but they were more than mere feelings. I could literally touch them; bliss and sorrow, courage and fear, joy and pain. All at the same time. The two halves - the light and the dark - were fighting for control. It was a fierce battle, the factions rapidly gaining and losing control; positive was barely in control, negative was taking over, happiness almost completely released me, sadness wrapped its chains tighter than I could ever imagine._

_Just as I thought grief and misery would destroy me, I was liberated by an unknown force. It was not the solid emotion that had been in combat. It was something that fueled them. Enriched them. It did not wipe out the darkness; it was, and always had been, a part of me. But it weakened it._

_I looked to see what had saved me. But before I could get a good look, a loud, incessant, infuriating noise rocked the very world I was in, threatening to annihilate it before I could get an answer to my question. All I could make out before the universe I was in collapsed was the thing I had found earlier, surrounded by a pillar of fire…_

XXXXXXXXXX

I opened my eyes, finding myself in bed, at home, back in reality. _What an odd dream,_ I thought. I didn't have the luxury to lie in bed awhile and steadily regain my consciousness, though; my phone was ringing.

"What time is it…?" I muttered sleepily, glancing at my alarm clock. "Who in the heck makes phone calls at quarter after five?" I grumbled. I picked up the phone, partly to find the answer to my question, but mostly to stop its infernal ringing. "Hello?" I said groggily into the receiver.

"Hi, Silver." It was Rouge. "Did you tell Blaze?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"And I owe you big-time."

"I told you that telling her was a good idea. So, anyways, now that you two are cool again, why don't you both come meet me and Shadow down at the café at, say, 8:30?"

"Okay…I'll get Blaze and come down there, I guess."

"Sounds good. See ya!"

"Bye."

XXXXXXXXXX

After getting a little more sleep (unsuccessfully trying to reenter my dream), I walked down to Blaze's house. Blaze seemed a little surprised, but pleased, to see me. As we walked to the local café, I told Blaze about the phone call I'd gotten earlier. She thought it was rather odd, but she was curious to find out what Rouge wanted. We sat down and the conversation turned, unavoidably, to the events of two days ago.

"You know, Silver, I can't help but feel sorry for Sonic and Amy," Blaze said sympathetically, "Imagine how they must feel right now…"

"Oh, I imagine that they're just fine," I said, grinning as I saw Sonic with his arm around and ecstatic Amy walking toward us.

"Hi, Silver! Hi, Blaze!" Sonic said. His voice took on a slightly more nervous tone. "No hard feelings?"

"None at all," I said, bumping fists with him. I'd never felt any aggression towards Sonic or Amy; I'd been too heartbroken to be angry at them. "Amy's within twenty feet of you and you're not running for your life? That's a first!" I laughed.

"Well, yeah, about that," Sonic began, "after…you know…" He pointed to the burn on his left cheek, and Blaze shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I'm fine, don't worry about it," he reassured her. "Anyways, I started to go back home. I didn't go as fast as I could, just because I wanted to think. Make sense of everything, you know? Well, suddenly, I ran into this one here." He gave Amy a little squeeze. "Even though she insisted she was okay, I knew something was up. I walked her home, and, after a little prodding, she told me everything."

"Blaze, Silver, I am so sorry," Amy said, burying her face in her hands and sobbing a little, "I…I was trying to make Sonic jealous. It was just another one of my stupid plans. If I had known what was going on between you two, then I would've never dreamed of doing what I did. I'm so sorry…"

"Oh, Amy, don't worry about it; everything worked out fine between Silver and I," Blaze said, giving her hand a little squeeze.

"Still…I must've caused a lot of trouble…" Amy sighed.

"Amy, didn't you hear them? Everything's okay," Sonic said. "Anyways, after Amy was done, I told her what had happened to me. In some ways, it was almost like I was just retelling her story…"

"Yeah, the chances were up there, weren't they?" I said.

"No kidding. Well, when we got to Amy's, I sat her down so she could calm down a little. And then, I just got this feeling, and…" Sonic took Amy's head in both his hands, leaned forward and gave her a big smooch.

"Well, looks like everyone's kissed and made up," I heard a voice behind me say. I turned around to see that Rouge had arrived with Shadow sulking close behind her.

"Hey, Rouge. Shadow, buddy!" Sonic said, holding out his fist as they sat down.

"How many times must I say it, Sonic; _don't call me buddy!_" Shadow barked. Sonic just chuckled and said something I couldn't quite make out, but sounded like 'same old grouch.'

"Aww, come on, Shad, don't be a mean little hedgie," Rouge crooned, much to Shadow's annoyance.

"So, Rouge, why'd you call us down here?" Amy asked.

"I thought it would be fun to get all the points of view," Rouge replied. "We met Silver in the park yesterday, and he told us everything. We'd seen Sonic earlier and Shadow had noticed the burn on his cheek, but he hadn't pointed it out to me until after Silver filled us in. It didn't take us long to figure everything out. I told Silver that he should tell Blaze what he'd told us, but he needed some…convincing." Shadow gave a rare smile and an even rarer chuckle at this.

"And so I told Blaze my story, she told me hers, we said sorry, and everything was fine," I said, with an air of relieved finality that I hadn't intended, but I liked.

"Well, that's a love square, a break-up, a make-up, a new relationship and a whole lot of misunderstandings, all within 24 hours. Lot of excitement in a little time, huh?" Rouge remarked.

I laughed. "I'd much rather go up against Iblis again than go through all that for a second time. Three hundred foot lava colossuses have nothing on drama at that scale."

"True as that may be, don't tell that to yourself too often," Sonic said, "That was my mindset for a long time, and it's why Amy had resorted to breaking my arm so she could get my hand." More laughter broke out. "Speaking of breaking arms…"

The conversation gradually shifted to other things. Blaze and I talked occasionally, but we mostly just listened. We were content with simply enjoying the happy little moment that we were all sharing.

My thoughts drifted back to the gang fight. _There is no way I should've survived that,_ I thought, _If it was anyone else, they wouldn't have lived. What made me survive it? Why was I spared?_ My thoughts were interrupted by Blaze resting her head on my shoulder. I looked at her, getting an enormous feeling of comfort and assurance. _I shouldn't be here…_

_Unless it was for a reason._

**THE END**

* * *

My comments on this chapter are on deviantART. My page: superfield . deviantart . com (without the spaces)  
Silver, Blaze, Sonic, Amy, Shadow and Rouge are (c) SEGA


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